TEN THINGS I SAID I WOULD NEVER DO (AND I DO ALL OF THEM)

Like many expectant mothers, I had the best of intentions before Lauren was born. I had a long list of things that I would and would not do with her once she was born. I'm pretty sure I threw that list out long ago. Here are some of the rules that seem to get broken on a regular basis:

1. Feed Lauren store bought baby food while she watches Disney movies or children's music on YouTube. 

Rationale: If my goal is to get food into her, who cares how it happens? I'm really hoping we can move back to homemade soon but I'll do anything to try to stop her from gagging.

2. Take Lauren out on errands at night. 

Rationale: Hey, if she's going to be up anyways, why not be productive?

3. Let Lauren have lots and lots of toys.

Rationale: I swear they are having toy babies when we're not looking. That and it seems that any and all household objects are also slowly turning into toys.

4. Throw Lauren up in the air.

Rationale: I was nervous about this for two reasons. The first was that I didn't think she would like it. Wrong. She loves it. The second reason was that I am terrible at catching. However iIt appears that I am able to catch things if I feel they are important enough. Apparently nothing in PE was ever important enough - not even my pride.

5. Sleep in Lauren's room past 6 months.

Rationale: I can barely make it between the mattress on the floor in Lauren's room and the chair without falling over. As long as she is getting me up 3 to 8 times a night, I don't think it is safe for me also to be trying to navigate my way down a hall as well.

6. Give Lauren lots of medication.

Rationale: I'll do anything to help her get better. And she actually really likes taking her medication... except her iron supplement. I tasted it. It's gross.

7. Sit Lauren in front of the TV.

Rationale: Lately she has been getting up from 10pm to 1am with insomnia as a side effect of a new medication (which we will be taking her off of asap!). After a full day of baby and my own exhaustion, a little Tangled or Secret of the Wings is not the worst thing that could happen. She also enjoys any programs with singing and dancing or hockey. The perfect combination of myself and Matt. 

8. Let Lauren wear dirty clothes.

Rationale: If I do any more laundry, I'm afraid that my laundry machine will break down or go on strike. I do enjoy folding her little clothes though. I'm sure that novelty will wear off.

9. Cover my house with photographs of Lauren.

Rationale: Can I help it that she does so many cute things and I want to be able to look at all of them?

10. Wear sweatpants every day and not put on makeup. 

Rationale: Matt now calls Elysha and I "The Sweatpant Sisters". If I'm going to be spending my whole day in the house, either playing on the floor, getting covered in baby food (there's some on my shirt right now), and snuggling Lauren, I need to be dressed for comfort. I sometimes think that What Not To Wear is going to show up on my front door and show me video of myself from the last two weeks but I think I'm wearing the same outfit that I've been wearing for the last two weeks so it would be a short video. I'm just thankful that I have a baby and a husband who love me no matter what I'm wearing or what is on my face. (Oh, yeah, that's not going on the blog - but you can see the sweatpant proof in the top of this photo of Lauren and her bottom teeth.)

There are many more things that could go onto this list but all I know is that at the end of the day I have a baby who is working on getting better, eating, and having good naps. She is happy, growing, and she knows that we love her. That is what is really important.